Lost Key
by PixiesStoleMyApples
Summary: Request fic for icemageofdistrict12 on Tumblr. Lucy lost one of her gate keys! Best friend Natsu volunteers to help her look for it.


Upon walking into Lucy's apartment, the first thing Natsu saw was the disaster area that had once been his friend's bedroom.

"Uhhh, Lucy?" Natsu called as he carefully stepped over Lucy's belongings. Looking down, he noticed papers from one of Lucy's short story scattered around the floor. "Luce, do you know that your stories are strewn everywhere?" he exclaimed, picking up the papers one by one. "It's a good thing you numbered them."

He hadn't gotten an answer from her since he arrived, but he knew she was there when he heard a clatter come from her bathroom.

"Lucy, what's going on with you?" Natsu inquired, a hand over his eyes yet conveniently not blocking his gaze as he opened the door to her bathroom. Lucy, fully clothed and kneeling on the floor, throwing things away from her in an unruly fashion, jumped and bumped her head when she heard his voice. She looked up briefly to see the pink haired dragon slayer cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, hi, Natsu," she sighed as she rubbed her head, turning back to resume rummaging under her sink. Her blonde hair was a blonde mess and her clothes, which were usually nice and neat, were wrinkly and disheveled.

Natsu squatted down next to her and asked, "Are you okay? What's going on?"

Lucy puffed and closed the sink doors. "I can't find it, I can't find it!" she cried as she scurried back into her bedroom. Following her, Natsu said, "What do you mean? What can't you find?"

She pulled back the covers of her bed, scanning and running her hands all over her mattress. "My gate key, I can't find one of my gate keys! Oh, she's gonna kill me! What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do, Natsu?!"

"Lucy, calm down!" Natsu shouted as he took her by the shoulders. "You need to breathe, okay? Now what gate key did you lose?"

Lucy took a deep, calming breath and slowly said, "I lost Aquarius' gate key."

Natsu blanched. "Aw, jeez, Luce! You lost her key? I'll help you find it, but we need to find it fast!"

"Thank you so much, Natsu!" Lucy cried, instantly returning to her search the moment the words left her lips. "I haven't looked in the closet yet, let's try in there."

The two headed straight for Lucy's walk in closet, searching high and low for the irritable spirit's golden key. Lucy knew how angry Aquarius got whenever she misplaced her key, and if she didn't find it quick, who knew how long she would hold a grudge against her this time.

"Where did you last see it?" Natsu asked as he rummaged through some of the drawers. Lucy looked back, mouth open as she was about to answer him, but quickly formed into a frown and her brows crinkling together.

"Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"I'm pretty sure I didn't leave it in my underwear drawer."

"Well, you never know, you could have accidentally lost it when while you were folding laundry. So it looks like I'll have to fish through every single pair of your pant—"

"IT'S NOT IN THE CLOSET, GET OUT! GET OUT!" screeched Lucy as her balled up fist made contact with the side of Natsu's head.

"Ow, ow! Okay, I get it!" Natsu rubbed the side of his injured head carefully. "I'll look under your bed."

Lucy sighed an apology and nodded her head, happy at least that Natsu volunteered to look under her bed so she wouldn't get all dusty. She had looked everywhere now, the bathroom, the closet, her bedroom. She didn't think she had taken her keys anywhere downstairs, but maybe she accidentally set down Aquarius' key when she went to make lunch. Just when she finished her thought, Natsu stood back up and dusted his vest and pants off.

"Sorry, Luce. It's not under the bed," Natsu said sadly. He unfolded his hand in front of her to reveal a small red jewel. "I did find one of the earrings I got you for your birthday, though."

"Oh, thanks, Natsu," she pinched it between her fingers and headed to her jewelry box to put it away safely. "I was wondering where that went, I really like those earrings."

"You're welcome," he grinned his signature toothy grin. But the grin disappeared as soon as it flashed over his face. "But I'm sorry I didn't find your key."

"It's alright, it's got to be around here somewhere!" Lucy said, pumping a fist down confidently. "Let's try looking downstairs."

Natsu and Lucy both headed downstairs to look, Lucy in the dining room and Natsu in the kitchen. Lucy looked all over, even in her china cabinets, but her key was nowhere in sight.

"It's mot in your frwidge," Natsu said with a mouth full of food. Lucy slapped a hand to her forehead, unsure if it was because she still couldn't find the key or that she actually thought Natsu wouldn't rummage through her fridge for once.

"Come on, let's go look upstairs again."

"What were you doing exactly before you misplaced it?" Natsu asked as they headed back into her bedroom. Lucy thought for a moment, tapping her chin as she did so.

"I was washing them, like I do every week. After I was done, I laid them on my desk on a towel to dry on their own, and after that I started writing," she told him, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "After that, I used the restroom and sat back down. But just as I was about to start writing again, I remembered that my food had been cooking, so I went downstairs to have lunch. After I came back up to put the keys back on my key ring, I realized that Aquarius' key was missing. And ever since then I've— Natsu, why are you looking at me like that?"

Natsu's cheeks puffed out as he began to chuckle. Lucy's face grew hot with anger as his small chuckle had turned into a bellow of laughter. "What the hell is so funny, you jerk?!"

"Oh my gods, Luce," he snickered, peeking at her through one eye. He reached over to Lucy's face and pulled something that she thought was the pencil she had been previously using off her ear. "Is this what you've been searching all afternoon for?" He lifted the golden gate key in front of her surprised face.

"Wha— how did— oh my..!" Lucy stuttered as he placed the key on her desk. She threw herself onto Natsu. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" With every thank you she pressed a kiss to his cheek, his forehead, his lips—

Lucy gasped, face turning red as she realized where she pressed that last kiss. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—" but she was interrupted when Natsu placed his hands to Lucy's cheeks and pulled her closer. Their lips met a second time, but they stayed pressed together this time. A small squeak escaped Lucy's throat when Natsu's right arm snaked around the small of her back, pulling her flush against him, his other hand finding its way to the back of her neck. Lucy's hands pulled at Natsu's collar involuntarily. She could feel his heart pounding fast against her chest, her own matching its velocity.

"Ahem."

The two quickly broke apart at the voice suddenly making himself known in the room. Lucy looked over to see Loke standing nearby, a smug look on his face.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked arrogantly.

Lucy's face grew a hot red. "No, no, no! We weren't— it isn't like that— we just—"

"Calm down, Lucy," Loke laughed, obviously amused at how embarrassed this was making her. "I just came to tell you that Aquarius knows that you misplaced her gate key."

Lucy blanched.

"And she isn't happy," Loke mentioned as he disappeared in a flood of lights.

Lucy groaned as she leaned against Natsu, the dragon slayer wrapping his arms around her and laughing. "I am so dead…" she whined.


End file.
